Recently, imaging apparatuses, such as interchangeable-lens digital cameras, using solid-state imaging devices have come into widespread use. It is necessary for such interchangeable-lens digital cameras to have excellent imaging performance, compactness, low cost, and a high zoom ratio. In particular, it is necessary for entry-level telephoto zoom lenses to have a focal length range in which the zoom ratio is greater than five magnifications and a half angle of view is less than 3° at a telephoto-end focal length of about 450 mm nominal in 35 mm film equivalent.
As the zoom lenses for the interchangeable-lens digital cameras, there are various known lenses. In particular, as lenses suitable for the telephoto zoom lenses, there are known lenses each of which is constituted of four lens groups or three lens groups. For example, there have been proposed lenses each of which includes, in order from the object side, a first lens group that has a positive refractive power, a second lens group that has a negative refractive power, and a third lens group that has a positive refractive power (refer to, for example, JP-A-2004-029765 and JP-A-2008-122775).